Dricus Du Plessis faces Kamaru Usman in the UFC Fight Night 281 main event at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Saturday 18 July 2026. The prelims begin at 10pm BST, the main card starts at 1am on Sunday morning, and the DDP vs Usman cage walks are expected at approximately 3am UK time. Du Plessis is the 4/11 favourite with BetVictor, while former welterweight champion Usman is 21/10.
This is a fascinating fight between two former UFC champions at very different points in their careers. Du Plessis is trying to move straight back towards the middleweight title after losing the belt to Khamzat Chimaev. Usman is 39, has fought only once since October 2023, and is moving back to 185 lb in pursuit of one final championship run.
Below is the complete UFC Oklahoma City fight card, UK start time, viewing information, latest BetVictor odds, main-event analysis and our Du Plessis vs Usman prediction.
What Time Is Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman in the UK?
- Event: UFC Fight Night 281, also promoted as UFC Oklahoma City
- Date: Saturday 18 July 2026 in the United States
- UK date: The main card and main event take place during the early hours of Sunday 19 July
- Venue: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Preliminary card start time: 10pm BST
- Main card start time: 1am BST
- Du Plessis vs Usman cage walks: Approximately 3am BST
The exact DDP vs Usman start time will depend on the length of the earlier fights. UK viewers should be ready before 3am, particularly if the main card produces several early finishes.
How to Watch Du Plessis vs Usman in the UK
UFC Fight Night 281 will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK, with streaming available through HBO Max. This is a standard Fight Night rather than a numbered pay-per-view card. For subscription details, supported devices and the difference between TNT Sports and TNT Sports Box Office, read BetVictor’s complete guide to how to watch UFC in the UK.
Coverage is expected to begin with the prelims at 10pm BST on Saturday, followed by the main card at 1am on Sunday. Broadcast listings can change, so check TNT Sports and HBO Max on fight day.
UFC Fight Night 281 Full Card
The current UFC Oklahoma City line-up features 12 fights. The bout order remains subject to change during fight week.
Main Card
- Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman, middleweight main event
- Jared Cannonier vs Christian Leroy Duncan, middleweight co-main event
- Chase Hooper vs Mitch Ramirez, lightweight
- Tabatha Ricci vs Fatima Kline, women’s strawweight
- Tommy McMillen vs Alberto Montes, featherweight
Preliminary Card
- Austin Bashi vs Jose Delgado, featherweight
- Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs Seok Hyun Ko, welterweight
- Levi Rodrigues Jr vs Felipe Franco, heavyweight
- Alden Coria vs Stewart Nicoll, flyweight
- Richard Harris vs Alvin Hines, heavyweight
- Dione Barbosa vs Anna Melisano, women’s flyweight
- Damien Anderson vs Ezra Elliott, featherweight
UFC Fight Night 281 Card Changes
The Oklahoma City card has changed several times close to the event. Kevin Holland withdrew from his scheduled welterweight fight against Jacobe Smith, removing one of the original main-card attractions.
Veronica Hardy was also removed from her fight with Dione Barbosa. UFC newcomer Anna Melisano has stepped in to face Barbosa. A late featherweight contest between undefeated debutants Damien Anderson and Ezra Elliott was then added to the preliminary card.
These late updates explain why some older fight-card listings contain different names or fewer bouts. The complete card above reflects the latest available line-up at the time of writing.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman Preview
Du Plessis vs Usman is a five-round middleweight fight between former champions. Du Plessis enters with a 23-3 record, while Usman is 21-4. Both men have elite wins, championship experience and strong wrestling backgrounds, but their approaches are very different.
Du Plessis creates pressure through awkward movement, physical strength and unpredictable combinations. Usman is more structured. He works behind a disciplined jab, attacks takedowns from the clinch and has historically been extremely difficult to put on his back.
The central question is whether Usman can impose his cleaner wrestling and pace against a naturally larger middleweight, or whether Du Plessis can overwhelm him across five rounds with size, pressure and finishing threats.
Dricus Du Plessis Form and Fighting Style
Dricus Du Plessis is a former UFC middleweight champion with 23 professional wins, including nine by knockout and 11 by submission. He won the title from Sean Strickland, defended it against Israel Adesanya and Strickland, then lost a unanimous decision to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319.
The South African does not fight with textbook rhythm. His stance changes, rushing combinations and sudden level changes can look untidy, but the awkwardness is part of the problem he creates. Opponents struggle to predict when he will explode forward, initiate a clinch or attack a submission.
UFC statistics credit Du Plessis with 5.18 significant strikes landed per minute and 2.22 takedowns per 15 minutes. He is active in every phase and rarely allows an opponent to settle into a comfortable tempo. The trade-off is that he absorbs 4.33 significant strikes per minute and has been taken down by several opponents.
Against Usman, Du Plessis should hold the natural size advantage. That matters in clinches, scrambles and prolonged grappling exchanges, particularly as the fight enters the championship rounds.
Kamaru Usman Form and Fighting Style
Kamaru Usman is one of the greatest welterweights in UFC history. He won the 170 lb title in 2019 and completed five successful defences before Leon Edwards ended his reign with a fifth-round head kick at UFC 278.
That championship run places Usman among the most accomplished titleholders the promotion has produced. BetVictor’s guide to the fighters with the most UFC title defences provides further context on how his reign compares with the longest runs in UFC history.
Usman lost the Edwards trilogy fight and then accepted a short-notice middleweight bout against Khamzat Chimaev, losing by majority decision. After a long break, he returned in June 2025 and defeated Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision, using his wrestling and positional control to shut down a dangerous finisher.
His career statistics remain outstanding. Usman averages 2.79 takedowns per 15 minutes and has defended approximately 89 percent of the takedowns attempted against him. He also absorbs only 2.67 significant strikes per minute, far fewer than Du Plessis.
The concern is age and activity. Usman is now 39 and this will be only his second fight in almost three years. He is also competing above the division where he built his championship legacy. The technical skills remain, but he must prove that his body can sustain a hard five-round middleweight fight.
The Size Difference at Middleweight
Usman built his career at welterweight, where the championship limit is 170 lb. Du Plessis is a career middleweight competing at 185 lb. For a full breakdown of the limits and how moving divisions affects a fight, see our guide to all UFC weight classes.
The 15 lb difference between the two divisions is not the same as a 15 lb cage-weight difference, because fighters rehydrate after weighing in. Even so, Du Plessis is accustomed to wrestling and absorbing strikes from full-sized middleweights. Usman must carry enough additional weight to handle the physical exchanges without losing the speed and cardio that made him such an effective welterweight.
That balance may decide the fight. If Usman is strong enough to control Du Plessis against the fence, his wrestling can neutralise the favourite. If the extra weight slows him down without closing the strength gap, Du Plessis can turn the contest into a draining physical battle.
Where DDP vs Usman Will Be Won
1. Usman’s Takedowns Against Du Plessis’ Scrambling
Usman has the cleaner conventional wrestling. His best route is to force Du Plessis backwards, connect his hands around the hips and make the former middleweight champion repeatedly work back to his feet.
Du Plessis is difficult to hold in static positions. He attacks grips, turns scrambles into offence and is willing to threaten submissions while standing up. Usman may land takedowns, but he needs control time and damage to make them count on the scorecards.
2. Du Plessis’ Pressure Against Usman’ Jab
Usman is at his best when he dictates range behind the jab. Du Plessis will try to disrupt that rhythm with stance switches, kicks and sudden bursts. The South African does not need every entry to look clean if his pressure forces Usman towards the fence.
Usman should have opportunities to counter because Du Plessis can leave openings during his attacks. The question is whether those counters discourage the forward pressure or simply lead to harder exchanges with the larger man.
3. The Championship Rounds
The main event is scheduled for five rounds. Usman has far more championship-round experience, but Du Plessis is younger and has been the more active fighter. If the contest reaches rounds four and five, physical freshness may matter as much as experience.
A close fight could come down to how judges value effective striking, grappling and control. Our guide to the UFC scoring system explains why a takedown alone does not automatically win a round.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman Odds
BetVictor makes Dricus Du Plessis the clear favourite for the UFC Fight Night 281 main event:
- Dricus Du Plessis to win: 4/11
- Kamaru Usman to win: 21/10
Those prices reflect Du Plessis’ age, natural middleweight size and recent championship-level form. Usman is the underdog, but his wrestling, takedown defence and five-round experience give him a credible route to an upset. View the latest price movements, Method of Victory markets and round betting through BetVictor’s UFC betting markets and odds.
Odds correct at the time of writing on 15 July 2026 and subject to change.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman Prediction
Prediction: Dricus Du Plessis to win by decision.
Usman is too disciplined and durable to dismiss at 21/10. His takedown defence is elite, his jab can punish Du Plessis on the way in, and he has already shown that he can compete physically at middleweight. He is also the more defensively efficient fighter according to the UFC statistics.
The lean towards Du Plessis comes from the size, activity and variety of his offence. He can pressure Usman in the striking exchanges, force difficult clinch battles and threaten submissions during scrambles. Across five rounds, the younger and naturally larger fighter should be able to win enough of the physical moments to take a competitive decision.
A stoppage is possible if Usman fades late, but the former welterweight champion has only been finished once in 25 professional fights. Du Plessis by decision is therefore the preferred method prediction, with Usman by decision the clearest underdog route.
No outcome is guaranteed. Bet only what you can afford to lose and use the safer gambling tools available through BetVictor.
UFC Oklahoma City Fights to Watch
Jared Cannonier vs Christian Leroy Duncan
The co-main event pairs one of the middleweight division’s most experienced contenders with one of its most dangerous emerging strikers. Cannonier remains powerful and composed, but Christian Leroy Duncan enters as the 2/7 favourite with BetVictor. Duncan’s speed and creativity make this the most relevant supporting fight for the middleweight title picture.
Chase Hooper vs Mitch Ramirez
Chase Hooper is priced at 1/4 against 3/1 underdog Mitch Ramirez. Hooper’s grappling and submission game are the obvious focus, but his improved striking has made him a more complete lightweight. Ramirez needs to keep the fight upright and prevent prolonged scrambles.
Tabatha Ricci vs Fatima Kline
Fatima Kline is one of the card’s shortest favourites at 2/7, with Tabatha Ricci available at 13/5. Ricci has the experience and judo background to make the exchanges competitive, while Kline brings the more aggressive finishing threat.
Tommy McMillen vs Alberto Montes
BetVictor has this featherweight contest priced as a pick’em, with both fighters available at 10/11. McMillen is unbeaten and carries considerable prospect interest, while Montes brings a dangerous submission record. It may be the most evenly matched fight on the main card.
Damien Anderson vs Ezra Elliott
The late preliminary addition features two unbeaten UFC debutants. Anderson is 5-0 and Elliott is 7-0, with both men owning perfect finishing records. The short-notice nature of the matchup makes it unpredictable, but the combined grappling credentials should produce immediate scrambles.
Why UFC Fight Night 281 Matters for the Middleweight Division
The main event and co-main event both carry middleweight significance. Du Plessis remains close to the title picture despite losing the belt, while Usman can transform the division with one upset. Cannonier is an established contender, and Duncan is trying to turn prospect momentum into a top-level breakthrough.
A Du Plessis win would keep him positioned for another major contender fight or a possible title eliminator. An Usman victory would create a rare two-division championship storyline and give the former welterweight champion immediate relevance at 185 lb.
Newer viewers can read BetVictor’s complete guide to UFC rules for a clear explanation of rounds, legal techniques, fouls and the ways a fight can end.
Final Verdict
Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman is a more competitive main event than the odds may suggest. Du Plessis has the physical advantages and wider finishing arsenal. Usman has the cleaner wrestling fundamentals, stronger defensive statistics and years of five-round experience.
The key is whether Usman can repeatedly control a younger, larger middleweight without slowing down. Our prediction is that he has success early, but Du Plessis gradually makes the fight more physical and wins a decision after five rounds.
For the latest card after UFC Oklahoma City, UK start times and confirmed matchups, follow BetVictor’s guide to the next UFC event. More previews, results and fighter features are available through the BetVictor UFC and MMA news hub.
